Scheregate Steps (Colchester)
Scheregate Steps form a very picturesque group in the breathtakingly ancient town of Colchester.
The steps can be found leading from St. John's Street, outside the Roman Walls, to Sir Isaac's Walk inside.
Scheregate was here. It was not one of the main gates to Roman Colchester, but may have been a postern gate, used at night when the main gates were closed.
In mediaeval times, a gateway was opened here to provide access to St. John's Abbey. Although the abbey itself is long gone, St. Johns Abbey Gatehouse can still be admired.
Steps lead up and over the wall to the higher level of the town itself, narrowing funnelwise as they pass through a group of gables and timber-framed houses.
These houses are mostly of the 17th century, but there is an earlier doorway in the frontage of a shop on the right.